Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha’s ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men’s basketball games during the 2012-13 season, including Wednesday. T. Scott Marr and Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.AM590espnradio.com.

Webcast Information
Wednesday’s game will be available at ESPN3 via http://es.pn/mbb-CREIGHTONvsDRAKE or on the WatchESPN app.
Please note, however, that the game will NOT be available on ESPN3 in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois or Indiana.

Live Stats Information
All of Creighton’s games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the top of the page for a link the exact URL.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.

Scouting No. 17 Creighton
Creighton is 17-2 this season, including non-conference wins over Wisconsin, Arizona State, UAB, Saint Joseph’s, Nebraska, Akron, Cal and Tulsa. Creighton’s 11-game win streak was snapped last Saturday when it fell at Wichita State, 67-64.
After being named First Team All-American a year ago, junior forward Doug McDermott (24.1 ppg., 7.2 rpg.) has lived up to extensive preseason hype and was recently named the Midseason National Player of the Year by Dick Vitale, Seth Davis, Mike DeCourcy and Andy Katz (among others). McDermott has been named MVC Player of the Week five times this year and is 36-for-60 from three-point range in the past 13 games.
Second on the team in scoring is senior center Gregory Echenique (10.1 ppg., 7.4 rpg., 1.7 bpg.). Echenique has led the MVC in blocked shots each of the past two years and had nine points, 13 rebounds and five swats last Saturday at Wichita State.
Creighton also boasts a veteran backcourt consisting of Grant Gibbs (7.3 ppg., 5.9 apg., 4.1 rpg.), Austin Chatman (7.9 ppg., 4.7 apg.) and Jahenns Manigat (6.0 ppg.). Gibbs and Chatman rank 1-2 in the MVC in assists, while Manigat led The Valley in league play in three-point percentage a year ago.
Creighton’s bench is led by sharpshooter Ethan Wragge (8.9 ppg., 3.2 rpg.), who leads the MVC with 46 three-pointers made and has drilled six three-pointers in a game on three occasions this season.
Creighton is shooting 51.8 percent from the floor (first nationally), 45.2 percent from downtown (first nationally), 74.7 percent at the line, and outrebounding foes by 4.8 caroms a game. CU scores 78.9 points per game.

Scouting Drake
Drake is 8-10 on the season and 2-5 in seven MVC games thus far. The Bulldogs are 5-3 at home, including an 83-69 win last Wednesday vs. Evansville.
Preseason All-MVC pick Ben Simons leads the Bulldogs in scoring (14.2 ppg.) and is third in the MVC with 45 three-pointers made.
Nearly scoring in double-figures is big man Seth VanDeest (9.9 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) and Utah transfer Chris Hines (9.9). Jordan Clarke (8.5 ppg., 8.1 rpg.) is second in the MVC in rebounds per game.
Drake scored 70 points or more in all 11 non-conference games, but has yet to score more than 65 in any of its league losses. The Bulldogs average 72.4 points per game and surrender 74.1 per contest. Drake shoots 44.4 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from behind the arc while being outrebounded by 4.1 boards per game.

The CoachesGreg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his third season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 29-6 mark last year, and is now 69-24 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 349-219 in 19 seasons and is 218-155 in 12 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Mark Phelps (Old Dominion, 1996) is 70-79 in his fifth year with Drake, which also doubles as his career record. Phelps, a longtime assistant to Herb Sendek at North Carolina State and Arizona State, replaced National Coach of the Year Keno Davis when Davis left for Providence after the 2008 campaign. Phelps is assisted by Brett Nelson, Stan Johnson and Chris Brazelton.

The Series With Drake
Creighton leads the all-time series with Drake by a 93-58 margin, but Drake leads 37-33 in Des Moines. CU’s 93 wins and 151 meetings with Drake are easily its most against any other opponent.
Creighton has won 19 of the last 27 and 26 of the past 36 meetings between the schools.Greg McDermott is 14-6 in his career against Drake. He was 8-2 while in the MVC at Northern Iowa, 1-3 while at Iowa State, and is now 5-1 at Creighton.
McDermott is 6-2 in head-to-head meetings with Mark Phelps.
Creighton’s series history vs. Drake can be found on page 11 of these notes.

Last Game Recap
Wichita State snapped Creighton’s 11-game win streak with a 67-64 win at Charles Koch Arena last Saturday. Creighton had two chances to tie in the final 10 seconds but missed a pair of three-pointers as the Shockers moved into a tie for first with CU. Doug McDermott led Creighton with 25 points, while Gregory Echenique finished with nine points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. Carl Hall paced WSU with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

What To Watch For
A few facts and figures to keep an eye on during Wednesday’s game.
-With a win, Creighton might (depending on Syracuse’s resul on Monday night) become the nation’s first school to 18 wins this season.
-With a win, Creighton can start 18-2 for the second straight season.
-Greg McDermott could win his 350th game as a head coach, and his 70th at Creighton.

Half Nelson
One of Drake’s assistant coaches is Brett Nelson, who first faced a Creighton team as a player on March 15, 2002.
It was Nelson, then a junior at Florida, who was guarding Creighton’s Terrell Taylor when Taylor hit a game-winning three-pointer with 0.2 seconds left in double-overtime in a first-round NCAA Tournament game in Chicago.
Nelson finished 4-of-19 from the floor in that game, logging 47 minutes.

Seeking 500 Points, AgainDoug McDermott leads the nation with 457 points this season, just 43 points away from his third straight season of 500 or more points.
The only three men in Creighton history with three straight seasons of 500 or more points are Paul Silas (1961-64), Bob Harstad (1988-91) and Rodney Buford (1996-99).

Trap Game?
Since 2000 Creighton owns three MVC wins by 30 points or more, including a 91-61 win vs. Drake on Jan. 8th. Each of the previous two times the Jays won by 30 or more, it lost the rematch on the road later that same season.
In 2002-03, Creighton beat Evansville 93-56. Eight days later, the Jays trekked to southern Indiana and got beat by Steve Merfeld’s team, 74-66.
In 2000-01, Creighton beat Evansville 87-57 at home, only to lose on the road 61-52 four weeks later.
The last time Creighton beat a team by 30 or more, then won on the road against the same team later that same season came in 1999-00. The Jays defeated Illinois State 82-43 in mid-December, and followed it up with a much-tighter 86-83 win in Normal two months later.

Channeling Adam Morrison?
One player who Creighton’s Doug McDermott has been compared to for his scoring ways is 2006 Wooden Award runner-up Adam Morrison from Gonzaga.
Morrison finished his career with 1,867 points and 128 three-pointers in 95 career games.
McDermott, through 93 games, owns 1,839 career points and 143 career three-pointers.
McDermott owns healthy advantages when it comes to field goal percentage (.566 to .503), three-point percentage (.466 to .368), free-throw percentage (.801 to .761), rebounds (704 to 485), and has also played fewer minutes (2,844 to 2,908 for Morrison).

Number 3, For 3Doug McDermott owns the MVC’s longest active streak of games played with a three-pointer, having hit at least one trifecta in 17 straight contests. McDermott has made 50 percent or better of his three-point attempts during 10 of his last 13 games, and is shooting 52.5 percent from downtown overall.
The 17-game streak is the longest by any Creighton player since Ethan Wragge went 21 games in a row with a trey from Jan. 3-March 24, 2010.
McDermott’s 143 career three-pointers are tied for 10th most in Bluejay history:
3FG Name Years
371 Kyle Korver 1999-03
245 Ryan Sears 1997-01
212 Rodney Buford 1995-99
200 Nate Funk 2002-07
192 Ethan Wragge 2009-Pres.
185 Matt Roggenburk 1986-90
177 Duan Cole 1987-92
147 Booker Woodfox 2007-09
144 Dane Watts 2004-08
143 Matt Petty 1989-93
143 Terrell Taylor 1999-02
143 Doug McDermott 2010-Pres.

Point, Counterpoint
No player in the MVC owns more assists in the past two seasons than Creighton senior Grant Gibbs’ 289 in the first 54 games of his career.
Gibbs can become the 12th player (and second-quickest) in Bluejay history to 300 assists with 11 more helpers.
MVC Assist Leaders, Since 2011-12
289 Grant Gibbs, Creighton
239 Jake Odum, Indiana State
196 Troy Taylor, Evansville

Shooting StarAvery Dingman ranks fifth in the MVC in three-point percentage, connecting on 48.2 percent of his shots from downtown this season.
In his career, Dingman is shooting 44.9 percent (53-118) from deep. That ranks fourth-best in Creighton history (min. 100 attempts).
The only men ahead of him (Doug McDermott, Booker Woodfox, Kyle Korver) have combined to win four MVC Player of the Year awards and three MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolades.

What A Run!Doug McDermott has scored 63 points on 24-of-33 shooting from the field when you combine the second half of his last three games.
McDermott had 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the second half vs. Missouri State on Jan. 11th, then had 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the second half vs. Northern Iowa last Tuesday. Most recently, McDermott made 6-of-10 shots at Wichita State and had 14 points after the break, including nine of CU’s final 10.

Elite CompanyDoug McDermott is averaging 24.1 points and 7.2 rebounds, while also shooting 52.5 percent from three-point range.
According to a graphic airing on ESPN on January 15th, McDermott would join Duke Christian Laettner and UCLA’s Tracy Murray as the only players in NCAA history to average at least 20 points, 7.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent or better from downtown (min. 50 attempts). Both Laettner and Murray did it in 1991-92, with Laettner taking home Wooden Award honors.

Did You See The 30-Pointer?
Junior Doug McDermott owns five games of 30 or more points this season, and 13 overall games in his career.
McDermott’s five outings of 30 points or more this season lead the country through games of Jan. 20th. Lehigh star C.J. McCollum has done it four times, while Darren White (Campbell), Ian Clark (Belmont), Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary’s) and Stan Okoye (VMI) have done it three times each.

Poll Position
Creighton dropped two spots to 12th in this week’s USA Today Top 25 Coaches poll, down from last week’s season-best 10th slot.
In the Associated Press poll that Creighton uses, Creighton is 17th in this week’s poll, down five spots. Creighton’s best AP ranking this year was 11th on Nov. 26th.
Creighton was ranked 15th in this year’s preseason coaches poll, its first preseason recognition since coming in at No. 23 in 2006-07.
Creighton started this year with a No. 16 preseason ranking by the AP, its highest preseason mark in program history and the best by any MVC school since No. 6 Wichita State in 1981-82.
Including the Jan. 21st poll, Creighton has now been ranked 24 times in 49 weeks of polls under Greg McDermott, and ranked between 26th-to-28th in five other polls. The 24 weeks in the top-25 under McDermott is more than any coach in Bluejay history.
Coaches Spending Most Weeks in Top 25 at CUGreg McDermott, 2010-Pres. 24 (of 49)
Dana Altman, 1994-2010 18
Tom Apke, 1974-81 5
Eddie Sutton, 1969-74 5

On A Roll
Since the start of last season, Creighton is a remarkable 46-8. That ranks as the best record over any 54 games since the Jays went 46-8 in 54 games from Nov. 17, 2002 to Feb. 7, 2004.
On a national basis, Creighton’s 46 wins since the start of last season ranks tied for fourth, as seen below.
Most Wins, Since 2011-12 (through 1/20)
School ‘11-12 ‘12-13 W-L Next
Syracuse 34-3 17-1 51-4 1/21
Kentucky 38-2 12-5 50-7 1/22
Kansas 32-7 16-1 48-8 1/22
Creighton 29-6 17-2 46-8 1/23
Louisville 30-10 16-2 46-12 1/22
Murray State 31-2 14-4 45-6 1/24
North Carolina 32-6 12-5 44-11 1/23
Ohio State 31-8 13-4 44-12 1/22

Strong On the Road
Off to a 17-2 start overall, Creighton is 6-1 away from home this season. Four of those victories have come against two Big Ten teams (Wisconsin, Nebraska) and two Pacific-12 teams (Arizona State, Cal).
Impressively, all four BCS wins have been by double-digits. Creighton is 8-1 in the past two years against BCS teams, including six victories by double-digits and another triumph by eight.

MVC’s Best On The Road
In addition to owning one of the MVC’s best home-court advantages, Creighton has easily posted the league’s best record in MVC road games since 2000-01 as well.
Creighton is 61-50 in MVC road games in that span, a win percentage of .550. A distant second is Southern Illinois (53-59, .473). As a league, the road winning percentage has been .347 in the same span.
MVC Road Records (since 2000-01)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 61 50 .550
Southern Illinois 53 59 .473
Wichita State 48 63 .432
Northern Iowa 45 66 .405
Missouri State 43 69 .384
Drake 32 80 .286
Illinois State 31 81 .277
Bradley 30 81 .270
Indiana State 24 87 .216
Evansville 20 92 .179
All MVC Teams 387 728 .347

Winning Away From Home
Creighton won a school-record 15 games away from home last season. The Jays went 10-3 in true road games and were also 5-1 on neutral floors.
Creighton’s lone neutral-site loss came to North Carolina in a not-so “neutral” Greensboro, N.C., in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
This year’s team is 6-1 away from home, with four of those victories against a BCS school (Wisconsin, Arizona State, Nebraska, Cal) by double-digits, a 22-point win at Missouri State, and a seven-point win at Illinois State.
This season was the first time since 1942-43 that Creighton has won its first six games away from home.
Each of Creighton’s last nine NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home, and eight of those teams had a winning record in true road contests.

On The Road Again
Last Saturday started Creighton’s longest string of consecutive MVC road games since 2001, as the Jays played at Wichita State (last Saturday), Drake (Wednesday) and Southern Illinois (Jan. 27) before returning to the CenturyLink Center Omaha floor.
The trip is necessary because CenturyLink Center Omaha is hosting the U.S. Figure Skating Championships from Jan. 20-27.
It’s the first MVC road trip of three games or longer for any league school since Bradley had a three-game road trip in January of 2009.
While daunting, it’s worth noting that in 1997-98 Creighton went on the road and won four straight Valley contests. The first three games in that run were Drake (Jan. 24), Wichita State (Jan. 27) and Southern Illinois (Jan. 31).

Nation’s Best Offense?
You can make a case that Creighton has boasted the nation’s best offensive production so far this year.
Through games of Jan. 20th, Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage (51.8), three-point percentage (45.2) and three-pointers per game (9.6), while ranking second in two-point field goal percentage (56.1).
According to data from bbstate.com, no team since at least 2005-06 has shot better than 58.7 from two-point range.
Last season Creighton ranked third nationally in three-point percentage, making 42.4 percent from downtown.
The only team to ever lead the nation in both 3-pointers per game and 3-point percentage was Princeton in 1987-88.
The only team to ever lead the nation in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage was Northern Arizona 1998-99.

Efficiency Improves
Because Creighton tends to play at a faster pace and have more possessions than the average school, Bluejay coaches place significant emphasis on stats like average points per possession, with data that can be found on a site such as bbstate.com.
Creighton’s offense is still clicking as one of the nation’s best, but the team has made huge strides on the defensive end of the floor, jumping from 222nd last year to 59th this season.
Sixteen of Creighton’s first 19 opponents have been held under 1.01 points per possession this season.
Points Per Possession
2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Offense 1.065 1.150 1.176
Offense Rank 46th 2nd 3rd
Defense 1.006 1.014 0.909
Defense Rank 192nd 222nd 59th

Defense! Defense!
Creighton ranked 222nd nationally last season in field goal percentage defense at 44.1 percent, one area that the program has tried hard to improve on in the off-season.
The early results have been promising, as CU has limited foes to 40.0 percent marksmanship. That figure ranked 70th-best nationally in 2012-13 through Sunday’s games.
Only two teams (Boise State and UNI) have shot better than 43.4 percent this season against the Jays.
The 42 points by Nebraska on Dec. 6th were its fewest against Creighton since 1932, a span of 39 meetings.
Through games of Jan. 13th, Creighton’s 164-point jump from 222nd to 58th in the country in field goal percentage defense was the nation’s 17th-largest improvement from a year ago. Utah (+308) and Iowa (+261) top that list. Creighton’s improvement was easily the MVC’s best, far ahead of Bradley (+115, 43rd-best nationally).

Doug On The RoadDoug McDermott has saved some of his best performances for the road this season. He’s averaging 21.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 12 home games, but those numbers surge to 28.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in seven contests away from home.

McDermott Goes For 39
Junior Doug McDermott had a season-high 39 points on Jan. 11th at Missouri State, scoring in nearly every conceivable way. Consider the following aspects of his performance:
-McDermott started the game 1-for-4 from the field, then sank his next 14 shots from the floor. When he missed his final shot of the game with 4:13 to go, the JQH Arena crowd gave a sarcastic Bronx cheer.
-McDermott scored Creighton’s first 18 points of the second half as the Jays extended a 32-27 halftime lead into a 50-32 margin.
-McDermott’s 39 points were seven more than the previous JQH Arena record.
-McDermott outscored Missouri State by himself in the second half, 28-25, and outscored MSU 35-34, in the final 26:16 of the contest.
-McDermott is the only player in the country this season with 39 points and 10 or more rebounds in the same game.
-His 28 points in the second half were the most by a Creighton player in a half since he scored 31 in the second half of his 44-point performance at Bradley on Jan. 7, 2012.
-McDermott’s 39 points are tied for the most in the MVC by any player this season with Wichita State’s Cleanthony Early.

About The Final Seconds
Creighton has played 19 games this season, but has yet to have a single lead change in the final five minutes in any of them.
Last year’s Creighton team went 5-1 in games that went to overtime or had a lead change in the final five minutes of regulation and were 7-1 in games decided by six points or less.

There He Goes Again
One year after leading the MVC with 49.2 percent accuracy from three-point land in Valley play, Jahenns Manigat is off to another hot start. Manigat has made 13-of-22 three-pointers in Valley action this year, ranking first in three-point percentage.
Over the past two seasons, Manigat is 44-for-85 from downtown in league action, good for 51.8 percent.
Manigat has made at least half of his attempts and made multiple three-pointers in seven of Creighton’s last nine games, hitting 17-of-30 treys (56.7 percent) in that span.

Thank Heaven For NevinNevin Johnson made the most of his career-high 12 minutes of playing time in a Jan. 8 win over Drake.
He blocked a Ben Simons lay-up shortly after checking in, then drained a three-pointer the next trip down.
Johnson would finish with nine points, one more than his previous career total set in CU’s first 15 games this season.
Johnson had another strong showing with five points, two rebounds and two assists in a career-best 13 minutes vs. Missouri State on Jan. 11th.

Jays Reach 10 Home Wins, Again
With a Jan. 8th win vs. Drake, Creighton won its 10th home game this season. Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 17 straight seasons.
The streak is easily a school-record, five more than the previous standard of 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign with 10 or more home wins.

Wragge = Instant OffenseEthan Wragge had 22 points in just 17 minutes vs. Drake on Jan. 8th, sinking six three-pointers for the fourth time in his career.
It’s the second time in Wragge’s career he’s had 20 or more points in 17 minutes or less, having gone for 21 points in 17 minutes as a freshman vs. Xavier.
Before Wragge arrived on campus four years ago, no other Creighton player had 20 or more points in 19 minutes or less since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.

Wragge, For Three!Ethan Wragge started the season red-hot from three-point range, sinking 21-of-36 three-pointers in CU’s first six games (58.3 percent). He then made 7-of-33 trifectas in CU’s next seven games (21.2 percent).
This month, Wragge is 18-for-35 from three-point range, good for 51.4 percent from deep.

Filling It UpEthan Wragge shares the MVC lead with 46 three-pointers made this season, giving him 192 in his career. That places him fifth in Creighton history.
All four men ahead of him were named MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player at some point in their careers.
Most 3FG Made, Career
3FG Name Years
371 Kyle Korver 1999-03
245 Ryan Sears 1997-01
212 Rodney Buford 1995-99
200 Nate Funk 2002-07
192 Ethan Wragge 2009-Pres.
185 Matt Roggenburk 1986-90

Coaches vs. Cancer Upcoming
As part of the nationwide American Cancer Society Coaches Vs. Cancer event, men’s basketball fans are encouraged to wear pink to promote cancer awareness and participate in the “Creighton Vs. Cancer Pink Out” game when the Bluejays host Bradley on Saturday, Feb. 2.
Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game and, like last year’s event, fans have the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt can be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.).
The first 14,000 fans entering the venue on February 2 will receive a complimentary pink t-shirt courtesy of Alegent Creighton Health and Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center.
Last year’s Creighton vs. Cancer jersey auction raised more than $20,600. This year’s auction raised approximately $24,000, with seven jerseys selling for more than $1,000.

Midseason Wooden Award List
Creighton forward Doug McDermott is the lone MVC representative on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, announced today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club on ESPNU. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the list is made up of 25 student-athletes who, based on their performances in November, December, and the beginning of January, are the frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.
The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation’s top 10 players, will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s will be announced on ESPN during the Final Four Weekend in Atlanta. The 2013 Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy’s will take place April 11-13, 2013, at The Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Three-Point Barrage
Creighton started MVC play shooting the daylights out of the ball, making 50 percent or better of its 3-point shots in six straight games for the first time in program history.
The Jays were 12-of-24 from downtown vs. Evansville, went 13-of-25 at Illinois State, were 11-of-22 from deep vs. Indiana State, an absurd 16-of-27 vs. Drake, 9-of-17 from long-range at Missouri State and 6-of-12 vs. UNI.
Creighton’s four-game stretch to start league play was the first time since January of 2008 that Creighton’s had four straight games with 10 or more three-pointers.
Creighton’s 16 three-pointers vs. Drake were tied for second-most in school history, tied for 10th-most in MVC history and the most in the MVC in 2012-13. The league record for three-pointers in a game is 20, done by Creighton (vs. Chattanooga on 2/19/05) and later matched by Bradley vs. Florida A&M on Nov. 21, 2006.

Racing To 18
Creighton enters Wednesday’s game with a 17-2 record. The 17 wins were tied for the most nationally after Sunday’s games. With a win on Wednesday, the Jays can become the nation’s first or second squad to 18 victories this year (Syracuse is 17-1 and hosts Cincinnati on Monday).
Nation’s Victory Leaders (through 1/20)
Team W-L Next Game
Syracuse 17-1 1/21 vs. Cincinnati
Michigan 17-1 1/24 vs. Purdue
Creighton 17-2 1/23 at Drake
Wichita State 17-2 1/23 at Missouri State
Gonzaga 17-2 1/24 vs. BYU

Best 19 Game Starts
Now in its 95th season of basketball, Creighton has started 17-2 for the fifth time in program history, as detailed below:
Creighton started last season 17-2 en route to finishing 29-6 overall. The Jays won the MVC Tournament and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton started 17-2 in 2003-04 but finished 20-9 after a season-ending eye injury to point guard Tyler McKinney derailed a 12-0 start.
In 2002-03, a Kyle Korver-led Creighton team started 17-2 through 19 games and would finish 29-5.
Creighton’s 1921-22 team started 21-2 before finishing 23-5.

Winning Against Them All
Creighton is 70-38 vs. MVC schools since the start of the 2007-08 season, owning a winning record against every Valley school except Wichita State.
Creighton vs. MVC Schools, Since 2007-08
Southern Illinois 9-1
Evansville 10-2
Bradley 9-3
Indiana State 8-3
Northern Iowa 7-5
Illinois State 7-6
Drake 7-6
Missouri State 7-6
Wichita State 6-6

Celsius or Fahrenheit?Jahenns Manigat led the MVC with his 49.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range in league play a year ago. When it came to CU’s nine MVC road games last year, he was the barometer.
In Creighton’s seven Valley road wins, Manigat shot a robust 19-of-27 (70.4 percent) from downtown. In CU’s two Valley road losses, Manigat was just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) from downtown.
Manigat is 17-for-30 (56.7 percent) from three-point range in the past nine games this year after starting the season 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) in his first 10 outings.
In Creighton’s two Valley road wins this year, Manigat is 5-for-7 (71.4 percent), while he is 0-for-2 (0.0 percent) in CU’s MVC road loss.

Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season’s team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State’s top preps. CU’s Iowans this season includes senior Grant Gibbs (Marion), junior Doug McDermott (Ames), sophomore Will Artino (Waukee) and redshirt freshman Alex Olsen (Council Bluffs).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 604 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State. In that time, 909 of Creighton’s 3,020 starts (30.1 percent) can be attributed to Iowans. Here’s a list of the Iowans and how many starts they’ve made during this run:
Creighton’s Starts By Iowans, Since 2/5/1994
Ryan Sears 124
Nate Funk 99
Kyle Korver 95
Michael Lindeman 94Doug McDermott 93
Tyler McKinney 89
Brody Deren 89
Joel Templeman 57Grant Gibbs 54
Kaleb Korver 46
Pierce Hibma 27
Adam Reid 24
Casey Harriman 16
John Klein 2

Get Your Tickets!
Creighton fans have already purchased 4,000 lower bowl all-session tickets for the MVC Tournament, which will be March 7-10 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. The mark shatters the previous MVC record for sales by a school set by Bluejay fans last year (2,575).
To join the Creighton contingent at Arch Madness with a purchase in the upper-bowl, call the CU Ticket Office at 402-280-JAYS.

Big Man In The MiddleGregory Echenique scored in double-figures in eight straight games from Dec. 1st - Jan. 5th.
Echenique has shot better than 50 percent from the field in 11 of the last 13 games, and continues to rank second in the MVC in field goal percentage at 66.1 percent.
Echenique’s 66.1 percent marksmanship from the field is on pace to approach not only the Creighton (67.4%) mark, but also the MVC single-season mark (also 67.4%) as well.
It’s also worth noting that Echenique ranks fourth in Creighton history with 145 career blocked shots. Echenique also ranks 13th in Rutgers history with 94 career swats, where he spent the first three semesters of college.
Most Blocked Shots, Creighton History
(Since 1979-80)
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
145 Gregory Echenique 2010-Pres.
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07

Offense AND Defense
This year’s team is playing some much-improved defense to go with a highly-lauded offense.
This year’s Creighton team is shooting 51.8 percent from the field, while holding foes to 40.0 percent from the field on the defensive end.
Creighton, Indiana and Weber State are the nation’s only teams shooting 50 percent or better on offense, and holding foes to less than 40 percent from the field.
Creighton’s 51.8 percent shooting from the field would rank seventh in MVC single-season history, and the best mark since 1985-86 (Creighton, .535).

RPI Update
Through games of January 20th, Creighton is ranked 22nd in the RPI according to WarrenNolan.com, while Drake ranks 166th.
Creighton owns eight wins against RPI teams in the top-100. By comparison, defending national champion Kentucky has three top-165 wins.
As a league, the MVC is the ninth-best conference nationally.

Honors Roll InDoug McDermott picked up two big honors in early January, adding to his collection.
ESPN.com named McDermott the National Player of the Month after a December that saw him average a nation-best 26.5 points per game while shooting 57.5 percent from the field, 57.6 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent in the line in six Creighton victories.
McDermott was also named the Lute Olson Award Midseason National Player of the Year honoree. McDermott was named the Lute Olson Award National Player of the Year at the end of last season.
McDermott has been named Midseason National Player of the Year by such experts as Seth Davis, Dick Vitale and Andy Katz.

Let’s Get It Started
Creighton won its first six MVC games this season before falling last Saturday at Wichita State.
As good as Creighton’s been since rejoining the MVC in 1977-78, it was just the second time the program has started 6-0 in league play in that span. Each of the previous two teams to start 5-0 in league play would go on to win the MVC Tournament.
Creighton’s Best MVC Starts, Since 1977-78
Start Year Finish/Place
7-0 2002-03 15-3/2nd (won MVC Tourney)
6-0 2012-13 ? ? ?
5-0 1988-89 11-3/1st (won MVC Tourney

Conference Starts Are Big
Since 1993-94, only one team (Northern Iowa, a 2008-09 co-champion) has won at least a share of the regular-season title without winning its league opener. In fact, 16 of the last 18 regular-season champs (or co-champs) have opened 2-0 or better in MVC play, with UNI in 2008-09 and Wichita State in 2011-12 serving as the exceptions.
This season the only MVC teams to start 2-0 were Bradley, Wichita State, Creighton and Indiana State.

What A Start!
Now in his third year, Greg McDermott is 69-24 in his first 93 games on the Creighton sideline. The 69 wins is tied for the most in Creighton history after 93 games. Here’s a breakdown of how he compares to some other Creighton coaches after 93 games.
W-L After 93 Games, Select CU Coaches
Coach Years W-L After 93Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 69-24
Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-35 69-24
Tom Apke 1974-81 69-24
Eddie Sutton 1969-74 54-39
Red McManus 1959-69 51-42
Dana Altman 1994-10 41-52
Tony Barone 1985-91 39-54
Willis Reed 1981-85 38-55

Unbeaten December
Creighton went 6-0 in December wrapping up an unbeaten December with a victory over Evansville on Dec. 29.
Since 1946-47, Creighton’s only two other teams to go unbeaten in December were in 2003 and 2008.
The 2008-09 team went 9-0 in December and would go on to win a share of the MVC regular-season title.
The 2003-04 squad finished tied for second in the MVC. That team began the season 12-0 before suffering an overtime loss in a game hosted by Northern Iowa and its then-coach, Greg McDermott.

10 Conference Wins x 16
Last season’s Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 16th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 16 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (18).
Each of the last 16 seasons has seen the team finish fourth place or better in the MVC as well.

Consistent Challengers
Ten of Creighton’s last 15 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley’s regular-season race. Two of the five that didn’t won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.
Creighton’s MVC Finishes, Last 15 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.),
2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.), 2011-12 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place 2010-11

Dingman Rings It Up
Creighton has needed someone to step up once Josh Jones was forced out of the line-up, and that someone has been Avery Dingman.
Since Jones met the media and disclosed he’d be out for at least a month (which has now turned out to be career-ending), Dingman is averaging 7.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 steals in eight games while sinking 15-of-27 three-point shots.
In Creighton’s Dec. 19 win over Tulsa, Dingman scored a career-best 21 points against the Golden Hurricane while also plucking a career-high three steals. Dingman made his first seven attempts and finished 8-for-9 from the field, including 5-of-6 from three-point land.
Dingman also had 11 points and a career-high seven rebounds in the win over Evansville.
Dingman is the sixth player on this year’s Creighton roster to own a 20-point game in his career. Doug McDermott’s done it 44 times, Ethan Wragge has done it three times, Gregory Echenique has done it twice, and Grant Gibbs, Jones and Dingman each have done it one time.

Creighton’s Exclusive 30/30 ClubDoug McDermott scored 30 points in a Dec. 9 win vs. Akron, then followed that performance with a season-high 34 seven days later at Cal.
McDermott, who leads the MVC with 24.1 points per game, became the first Creighton player with 30 points in consecutive contests since Bob Harstad in 1990.
McDermott also scored 30 or more in consecutive wins vs. Missouri State and Northern Iowa in January.

Doing It All
Reigning MVC Player of the Year Doug McDermott has one of the nation’s best set of post moves, and now the junior forward is taking his skills to the perimeter with similar success.
Eight days after tying a career-high with five-three pointers in a 29-point thrashing of Atlantic-10 favorite Saint Joseph’s, McDermott shot 6-for-8 from downtown in a 77-61 win over defending MAC champion Akron on Dec. 9th.
McDermott’s career 46.6 percent accuracy from three-point range ranks tops in CU history. Since starting his career 15-of-53 (28.3 percent) after 20 games from downtown, McDermott has made 128-of-253 three-pointers (50.6 percent) in his past 73 games.

McDermott Earns MVC AwardsDoug McDermott has been named MVC Player of the Week five times this season.
His first honor came Nov. 12th for his performance in a Nov. 9 win vs. North Texas. McDermott had 21 points and 11 rebounds to produce CU’s first double-double in a season-opener since Kyle Korver in 2001-02.
He was then honored on Nov. 26th after averaging 25.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while earning MVP honors of the Las Vegas Invitational.
McDermott was honored on Dec. 10th after averaging 28.5 points in wins vs. Nebraska and Akron.
Most recently, McDermott was honored on Dec. 17th after scoring 34 points and hauling down nine rebounds in a win at Cal on Dec. 15th. He was also named National Player of the Week by Seth Davis (CBS/Sports Illustrated) and the USBWA for that performance.
His fifth honor of the year came on Jan. 14th after he averaged 27.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins over Missouri State and Drake.
McDermott now owns 10 career MVC Player of the Week honors, something only Bradley great Hersey Hawkins (14) can top.
Including his seven MVC Newcomer of the Week honors in 2010-11, McDermott has won at least one weekly award from the MVC in 17 of 43 weeks since enrolling at Creighton.

Ball Control Offense
Creighton owns a stellar 343/229 assist/turnover ratio (1.50) as a team to rank sixth nationally.
Last year Creighton ranked sixth nationally by finishing with a 1.48 assist/turnover ratio.

Full House
This year’s Creighton team ranks sixth nationally in average home attendance, averaging 16,859 fans per game.
Creighton finished sixth nationally in home attendance, averaging 16,665 fans per home game, in 2011-12. It’s the sixth straight season that CU has been among the nation’s top-25 in average home attendance, and set an MVC average home attendance record.
Last year Creighton surpassed 200,000 home fans in a season for the sixth time. No other school in the history of the MVC has ever done so even once. Creighton will surpass 200,000 fans if it attracts more than 15,088 fans on Tuesday vs. UNI.
Creighton also ranked seventh nationally in men’s soccer attendance and 10th in baseball attendance, the nation’s only school in the top-10 of those three sports.
2012-13 Attendance Leaders (1/20)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 22,648 1/26
2. Louisville 21,133 1/28
3. Syracuse 19,803 1/21
4. North Carolina 18,302 1/23
5. Indiana 17,377 1/23
6. Creighton 16,859 1/30
7. Tennessee 16,686 1/26
8. Wisconsin 16,618 1/22
9. Kansas 16,526 1/26
10. BYU 16,481 2/2
11. Memphis 16,047 1/22
12. Ohio State 15,963 1/22

Jones Hangs Up High TopsJosh Jones was hospitalized prior to Creighton’s Dec. 6 game at Nebraska after he fainted during pre-game warm-ups on the Bob Devaney Sports Center court prior to Creighton’s 64-42 win.
Jones was released from a Lincoln hospital on Dec. 7th. Jones was underwent a nine-hour medical procedure on Dec. 18th, and on Dec. 26th announced his basketball career is done due to an atrial flutter.
The senior guard was averaging 7.0 points per game as the team’s top guard off the bench.

Top Four From Three
While Gregory Echenique has yet to attempt a three-point shot this season, Creighton’s other top three scorers continue to fill it up from deep.Austin Chatman (.514), Ethan Wragge (.442) and Doug McDermott (.525) have combined to make 107-of-221 three-point attempts this season, good for 48.4 percent.
Chatman is 18-for-31 from three-point range in the past 15 games, while McDermott is 36-of-60 from downtown in the past 13 contests. Wragge started the season 18-for-29 and shares the MVC lead with 46 three-pointers, including 18 in the past six games.
Either Wragge or McDermott has had three or more three-pointers in 18 of Creighton’s last 22 games dating back to late last season.
Creighton owns four men on its roster who have made 106 or more career three-pointers.

Comparing Offenses
Last season Creighton had one of the nation’s most effective and most efficient offenses. With all but one regular from that squad back, we thought we’d take a second to compare the 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams through 19 games:
Stat 2011-12 2012-13
Record 17-2 17-2
FG Made 554 535
FG% .518 .518
3FG Made 163 182
3FG% .450 .452
FT Made 283 248
FT% .713 .747
Rebound Margin +5.4 +4.8
Assists 367 343
Turnovers 245 229
Scoring Average 81.8 78.9
Scoring Margin +12.6 +16.6

Might As Well Jump
Creighton is 12-0 this season when Gregory Echenique wins the opening tip.
Dating to last year, the Jays have won 20 straight games when Echenique wins the tip.
Creighton is 42-9 all-time when Echenique wins the opening tip, but 13-8 when he loses the tip.

Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather’s Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is a perfect 64-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 76-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.

A New Streak
Now that the impressive streak when scoring 70 or more is over, it’s time to look at a few other eye-opening streaks still in play.
Since Greg McDermott took over three years ago, Creighton is averaging 78.22 points per home game (3,911 points in 50 home games).
That’s a vital number since Creighton is 88-0 at home (61-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 70-0 at home (47-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000.

Stat Leaders
Statistically, Creighton ranks among the nation’s top-13 in nine different categories through games of Jan. 20th. The Jays lead the nation with 9.6 three-pointers per game while also ranking first with 45.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range, while also ranking first in field goal percentage (.518). Creighton’s also fourth in assists per game (18.1), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.50), seventh in win percentage (.895), 10th in total points (1,500), 12th in scoring offense (78.9) and 13th in scoring margin (16.6).
The only team to ever finish a season leading the nation in both 3-pointers per game and 3-point percentage was Princeton in 1987-88., while the only team to ever lead the nation in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage was Northern Arizona 1998-99.
Individually, Doug McDermott is second in points per game (24.1), 28th in field goal percentage (.565), 48th in free-throw percentage (.866) and and 180th in rebounds per game (7.2). Grant Gibbs is fifth in assist/turnover ratio (3.77) and 24th in assists per game (5.90). In addition, Gregory Echenique ranks 91st in blocked shots per game (1.74), 102nd in double-doubles (4) and 157th in rebounds per game (7.4). Also in the top-100 are Ethan Wragge, who is 86th with 2.42 three-pointers per game, and Austin Chatman who ranks 76th with 4.7 assists per game and 96th with a 2.00 assist/turnover ratio.

Big Road Win
Creighton’s 64-42 win at Nebraska matched its largest victory margin in a true road win since an 82-60 win at Southern Illinois on Feb. 14, 2009.
It was also the largest margin in a non-conference road win since winning at Drexel, 72-48, on Dec. 1, 2007.
Before Dec. 6th, last time Creighton won a true road game by 22+ points vs. a BCS-league team was 12/18/76 at Oregon State (90-68).

Scoring On The Badgers
Creighton scored 84 points on Nov. 23rd against Wisconsin’s vaunted defense that has ranked among the nation’s top-10 in scoring defense in each of the past six seasons.
It was the first time in either of the last two seasons that Wisconsin had allowed 80 points in a game, and the eighth-most allowed in regulation in Bo Ryan’s 12 years as a head coach.

Third-Year Coaches UpdateGreg McDermott was one of 53 head coaches hired to coach a school prior to 2010-11. His 69 wins in that span are easily the most of that group, and McDermott, Tad Boyle (Colorado) and Dana Altman (Oregon) are the only men to win a postseason game each of their first two seasons.
Below is a list of the new coaches with 51 or more wins at their school since being hired.
School Coach W-L Next Game
Creighton Greg McDermott 69-24 1/23
Iona Tim Cluess 62-27 1/25
Oregon Dana Altman 61-30 1/23
Colorado Tad Boyle 60-32 1/24
Robert Morris Andy Toole 56-32 1/24
Marshall Tom Herrion 52-35 1/23

Austin Powers
After spending last year as a back-up to Antoine Young, sophomore Austin Chatman has taken over as Creighton’s starting point guard. Creighton’s been blessed with a legacy of some of the MVC’s best point guards in the last 15 years, a streak that began with four-year starters Ryan Sears (1997-2001), Tyler McKinney (2001-05) and Josh Dotzler (2005-09) at the point before Young ran the offense while starting the last three years.
Here’s a look at the stats, by year, of the men that Chatman is trying to replace.
Freshman Sophomore
Name PPG APG CU W-L PPG APG CU W-L
Sears 10.5 4.8 18-10 8.7 4.0 22-9
McKinney 4.3 2.1 23-9 5.0 4.1 29-5
Dotzler 6.4 4.2 20-10 2.2 2.0 22-11
Young 4.9 1.4 27-8 7.1 3.1 18-16
Chatman 2.4 1.9 29-6 7.9 4.7 17-2

Dime TimeAustin Chatman’s 11 assists on Nov. 18 vs. Presbyterian were one shy of the CenturyLink Center Omaha record, set last season by Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern. Chatman entered the game with a career-high of seven assists, then had nine by halftime.
Chatman’s 11 dimes led to 30 Bluejay points, and Creighton outscored the Blue Hose 63-26 in his 24 minutes of play.
In addition, Chatman’s 11 assists were the most by a Bluejay sophomore since Tyler McKinney had 12 assists in a 81-73 win at Nebraska on Dec. 21, 2002.

Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 12 of the previous 14 seasons. Each of Creighton’s previous 13 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.

Not Half BadDoug McDermott outscored Presbyterian 20-17 in the first half in a Nov. 18 win. It was the second-most points McDermott has ever had at halftime, and the fourth-highest half of his career.
McDermott’s highest scoring half of his career has been 31 points, done last year in the second half at Bradley when he scored a career-best 44 points.
McDermott has scored 15 points or more in a half 33 times during his career, and Creighton is 30-0 in those contests (three times he’s scored 15 or more in both halves).
McDermott owns seven halves in his career with 20 or more points, and just five scoreless halves.

Rare AirGregory Echenique had one of the best all-around games of his career on Nov. 14 in the win vs. UAB, finishing with 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots. For good measure, he made 5-of-5 shots from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 at the line.
Echenique was the first Bluejay with at least 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots in the same game since Benoit Benjamin had 15 points, 17 rebounds and four swats on Feb. 28, 1985 at Dayton.
Echenique was the first Bluejay to have a 13/16/4 game at home since Benjamin had 26 points, 18 rebounds and seven rejections in a win vs. Marquette on Jan. 27, 1985.
Incredibly, Benjamin had nine different games in his junior season with at least 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks before Echenique ended the 27-year drought.

Playing With The Lead
In 165 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 40 of those contests, a staggering 24.2 percent of the time, including seven wire-to-wire wins at home last season and four wins (Longwood, Saint Joseph’s, Tulsa, Drake) this season.
Creighton has trailed by double-digits in 37 career games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, only to rally to win 22 of those contests.

On The Trail
Creighton won six games last season after trailing by 10 or more points, including wins away from home at San Diego State and at Wichita State, on neutral floors vs. Drake and Alabama, and in home triumphs over Long Beach State and Evansville.
In its Nov. 14 win vs. UAB, Creighton trailed 45-35 in the second stanza, only to rally for a 77-60 win. It was the first time since Feb. 3, 2010 (vs. Evansville) that Creighton trailed by double-digits at any point before rallying to win by double-figures. That UAB game was also the first time in CenturyLink Center Omaha history that Creighton trailed by double-figures in the second half, yet still won by double-digits.
Creighton, which trailed 37-33 at the half to UAB, is 9-7 in the last two seasons when facing an intermission deficit.

Chasing HistoryDoug McDermott has scored 972 points in his first 50 career home games. He is the all-time leading scorer in CenturyLink Center Omaha history.
McDermott also owns CenturyLink Center Omaha career records in points per game (19.4) and rebounds per game (7.6).
McDermott enters Wednesday’s game with 1,839 career points in all venues, good for fifth in school history.

Super Streak Ends At 37Doug McDermott has scored in double-figures in 55 of Creighton’s last 56 games dating to late in his freshman campaign. His streak of 37 straight games in double-figures came to an end when he was held to five points vs. UAB on Nov. 14th.
McDermott had owned the nation’s third-longest active streak in the country, and the longest by any Bluejay since Vernon Moore’s stretch of 46 in a row in 1984 and 1985.
McDermott’s five points were the second-fewest in his career. His only game lower was his freshman season vs. Saint Joseph’s, when he was scoreless in his ninth career contest.
CU’s Top 10+ Point Streaks, Since 1981-82
No. Name Dates
46 Vernon Moore Jan. 30, 1984 - Mar. 5, 1985
37 Doug McDermott April 1, 2011-Nov. 9, 2012
32 Bob Harstad Feb. 24, 1990-Feb. 25, 1991
31 Benoit Benjamin Mar. 8, 1984 - Feb. 20, 1985

Milestone Man
Because he’s split his college career between Rutgers and Creighton, you might not realize the rather impressive college stats being generated by Gregory Echenique.
Echenique owns 1,206 points, 891 rebounds and 239 blocked shots in his first 122 games as a collegian. He entered the season as the nation’s only active player with at least 1,000 point, 750 rebounds and 200 blocked shots, and is currently the nation’s only active player with 1,100 points, 850 rebounds and 225 or more blocked shots.
Had all those stats been generated at Creighton, Echenique would rank 25th in career points, fifth in career rebounds and second in career blocked shots at CU.

I Know What You Did Last Summer
Senior center Gregory Echenique played for coach Eric Musselman on the Venezuelan National Team last summer, alongside the likes of former Maryland star and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez.
Echenique averaged 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games at the FIBA Olympic Qualifier in Caracas in July against Lithuania and Nigeria, where he went head-to-head against NBA players such as Linas Kleiza, Jonas Valanciunas, and Al-Farouq Aminu.

Double-Double OpenerDoug McDermott opened his junior season with 21 points and 11 rebounds on Nov. 9 against North Texas in a 71-51 win.
He was the first Creighton player to have a double-double in a season-opener since Kyle Korver opened his junior campaign with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-51 victory over North Carolina A&T.
Korver would go on to earn MVC Player of the Year accolades as both a junior and as a senior. Last year McDermott was the first player in MVC history named MVC Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Creighton has won either the MVC regular-season title or MVC Tournament each of its previous six seasons it had a player with a double-double in the opener (2001-02, 1999-00, 1998-99, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1988-89).

Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in the preseason poll of league coaches, SID’s and media. The Bluejays earned 38-of-40 first-place votes and 398 points overall.
Illinois State was second with 327 points and the remaining two first-place votes, while Northern Iowa was third with 316 points. Wichita State (298) and Evansville (240) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Drake (184), while Indiana State (165), Missouri State (122), Bradley (84) and Southern Illinois (66) round out the rest of the league predictions.
Creighton junior Doug McDermott was named preseason MVC Player of the Year. He’s joined on the team by repeat selections Jake Odum (Indiana State) and Colt Ryan (Evansville) as well as new picks Ben Simons (Drake) and Jackie Carmichael (Illinois State).
Creighton’s women were also picked to win the MVC, just the third time in league history the MVC favorites came from the same schools.

Portman To Enter MVC Hall of Fame
Bob Portman will enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame on March 8, 2013, during a banquet at the MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
Portman played for Creighton from 1966-69 and averaged 24.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game during his college career.
Portman owns the Creighton records for single-game scoring (51), single-season scoring average (29.5) and career scoring average (24.7). He is also second for points in a season (738) and ranks fourth in career points (1,876), rebounds (979), free throws (382) and field goals made (747).

Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 13 of the last 14 seasons, an unprecedented feat in Missouri Valley Conference history that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 14 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 13 of the past 14 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
That’s better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (12 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (11 each).

Postseason x 15
Creighton has made the postseason in 15 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 14 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.

Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Alabama, the Creighton men’s basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record five straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
The following eight programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in five straight seasons, including 2011-12: Creighton, Kansas, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse and Wisconsin.

Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 628 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That’s the longest active streak in the MVC.

CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 165 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in its 10 seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 141-24 (.855) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (6-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 12,407-10,454 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.8 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 40 different times, including seven times last season and four times this winter (Longwood, Saint Joseph’s, Tulsa, Drake).

Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 56 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 19 straight (at all sites) when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
In home games only, Creighton has won 99 straight games when scoring 71 or more points since a Feb. 5, 2005 loss to Missouri State.

Here’s To History
With the 2012 MVC Tournament title, Creighton head coach Greg McDermott became the first head coach in league history to win a Valley Tournament title at more than one school.
McDermott previously won a title in 2004 at Northern Iowa. The 1988 Northern Iowa grad McDermott also holds the honor of being the first coach in league history to win an MVC Tournament title at his alma mater.

Dance Partners
Only two schools won their league tournament in both men’s and women’s basketball in 2011-12: Creighton and South Dakota State.
This was the fifth time in MVC history that the same school has won the men’s and women’s tournament titles in the same season. Creighton, however, was the first program to do it twice (UNI 2010, Creighton 2002 and 2012, Missouri State 1992, Illinois State 1983).

McDermott A Preseason All-American
Junior forward Doug McDermott became the first player in MVC history to be named a preseason First Team All-American by the Associated Press. The team was announced on October 28th.
McDermott earned acclaim on 62-of-65 ballots, trailing only Indiana’s Cody Zeller. The rest of the team consisted of Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State), Trey Burke (Michigan) and C.J. McCollum (Lehigh).
The preseason All-America team was first announced in 1986-87.

Watch This!
Junior Doug McDermott is on the preseason watch lists for both the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, two of the top awards in college basketball.
McDermott is the only man who was a finalist for either award to return to school this season.
The Naismith Award is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and will be presented on April 7, 2013, in Atlanta.
The Wooden Award is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and will handed out the weekend of April 12-13, 2013, in Los Angeles.

Everybody’s All-AmericanDoug McDermott hauled All-America honors on a regular basis last year.
He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, Basketball Times and ESPN.com, and a second-team selection by The Sporting News and CBSSports.com. He was also named to the 10-man John R. Wooden Award All-America team.
Prior to McDermott, the only other player honored by the USBWA with All-America status had been second-team selection Kyle Korver in 2003, and the only prior NABC selections from Creighton had been second-teamer Paul Silas (1964) and third-team selections Benoit Benjamin (1985) and Kyle Korver (2003).
Last year McDermott was named CollegeInsider.com’s Lute Olson National Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Award, though Anthony Davis won both awards.

Scoring In NumbersDoug McDermott owned 801 points in 35 games last year, an average of 22.9 per contest that ranked him third nationally in scoring.
McDermott’s 22.9 points per game ranked fourth-most in CU single-season history and were the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69.
Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), was the only previous Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders.
McDermott’s 22.9 points per game made him the first MVC player over 20 points per game since Illinois State’s Tarise Bryson (2000-01) and the most by a MVC player since Northern Iowa’s Randy Blocker (23.0 ppg.) in 1993-94. Bryson had been the only MVC player since 1989 to rank in the top-five nationally in scoring.
No Bluejay had averaged more than 20 points per game since Bob Harstad’s 22.2 average in 1989-90.

Oscar, Bird, DougDoug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581 in 2010-11. Last season, McDermott had 801 points, the most single-season points in school history by any player.
McDermott’s 1,382 points after two seasons were the most in school history by a player in their first two seasons, passing Bob Portman (1,195). According to STATS Inc., the only other players since 1996-97 with at least 1,382 points or more by the end of their sophomore season had been Davidson’s Stephen Curry (1,661 points from 2006-08), Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey (1,438 points from 2005-07) and VMI’s Keydren Clark (1,497 points from 2002-04).
He became just the third sophomore in MVC history to reach 800 points in a season, trailing only Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird on that list. His 801 points from last year rank 10th-most in MVC single-season history and were the most by any Valley player since 1988.
Below is a list of the most prolific sophomore scorers in MVC history, as well as the top single-season scorers in Creighton history (all classes):
Top Scorers, MVC History (All Years)
Pts. Name, School Years
1125 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1987-88
1011 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1959-60
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
978 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1958-59
973 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1978-79
959 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1977-78
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
844 Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State 1984-85
815 Lewis Lloyd, Drake 1979-80
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
788 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1986-87
788 Willie Biles, Tulsa 1972-73

Familiar Fives
Creighton utilized the same starting line-up all season long in 2011-12, as Gregory Echenique, Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat and Antoine Young started all 35 games.
According to STATS Inc., the only schools with the same starting five every game were Creighton, Missouri, Nevada, Wisconsin and Youngstown State.
Of those five schools above, the only team to use the same starting five for every game in 2012-13 is Creighton.

Last Season Recap
Creighton went 29-6 and reached the third round of the MVC Tournament last season. Creighton started the year 7-0 to move into the Associated Press top-25, a spot they would hold for 12 of the final 15 weeks.Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in scoring (22.9), scoring a school-record 801 points. He became the first sophomore named MVC Player of the Year and was a consensus First Team All-American.
Point guard Antoine Young (12.1 ppg., 4.5 apg.) was a second-team all-Valley pick, while center Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 1.6 bpg.) was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Grant Gibbs was runner-up for MVC Newcomer of the Year accolades after dishing a league-high 176 assists.
The Jays ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (.504), third in three-point percentage (.424), fifth in assists (17.6), sixth in home attendance (16,665) and ninth in scoring offense (79.2).
Creighton finished the regular-season second in the MVC before winning its league-record 11th Valley Tournament title to clinch an NCAA bid. At the NCAA’s, Creighton topped Alabama 58-57 before falling to No. 4 North Carolina.

Creighton Will Host in 2015, Again
The NCAA announced on Nov. 12, 2012, that Creighton will serve as the host institution on March 20/22, 2015, when the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament returns to CenturyLink Center Omaha for second/third-round games.
This will be the third time in a seven-year span the arena has hosted, having previously done so in 2008 and 2012 to much acclaim.
CenturyLink Center Omaha has previously hosted NCAA finals for women’s volleyball (2006, 2008) and wrestling (2010), as well as the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming (2008, 2012). This January, it will host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men’s basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game’s conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2012-13 season went on sale on October 29th at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker’s, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.